CHARGERS: Report card versus Kansas City

Philip Rivers
had two interceptions in the
first half — honestly, should've had three — but seemed to right
the ship as the game went on. He caught fire in the first half and
into the second, but it didn't result in many points. And there was
that fumbled snap in range of a game-winning field goal, although
it never really got into his hands. Rivers hurt his team in the
first half and, despite throwing much better in the second, didn't
do enough to help his team win this game. That's all that really
matters.

Running backs: B

Ryan Mathews
rarely left the field early, but
some strange things happened after he left with groin strain. His
lost fumble at the Kansas City 25 was critical, as was the lost
fumble in last season's opener at Kansas City.
Curtis
Brinkley
, signed off the practice squad last week, had a
great catch, a touchdown and a game-tying two-point conversion.
Mike Tolbert
was out with a hamstring strain he
still hasn't tested.

Receivers: C

Kansas City smothered TE
Antonio Gates
, who
still found a way to get open and make some plays. With
Vincent Jackson
covered well by CB
Brandon
Flowers
and a safety,
Malcom Floyd
was
open and able to make plays as the game went on.
Patrick
Crayton
had a few big plays. There were two pass
interference calls on this group — although Gates' flag was suspect
— and both occurred in the end zone.

Offensive line: F

Maybe LT
Marcus McNeill
isn't right after a
neck sprain last week. Maybe Chiefs LB
Tamba Hali
is a lot to handle. Either way, McNeill had one of his worst days
at the office. Hali dominated him and
Jeromey
Clary
. McNeill ended up with four false start penalties,
illegal use of hands a hold. Clary was called for two holds, one of
which was declined. There was that fumbled snap with C
Nick
Hardwick
, which never reached Rivers. Not many openings in
the middle for Mathews, which shows the impact of OG
Kris
Dielman
sitting out.

Defensive line: B

This unit was drastically improved over recent weeks. They put
major emphasis into stopping the Kansas City run game and handled
it well except an early fourth quarter TD drive. The line tightened
back up after that, but relaxed in overtime when it mattered most.
Kudos to
Vaughn Martin
on a solid effort.
Cam Thomas
had a sack after bull rushing his man
and winning a one-on-one battle.

Linebackers: B

They came into this game with just three healthy OLBs, without
Shaun Phillips
or
Larry English
.
Given the circumstances, they played admirably.
Travis
LaBoy
had a crucial forced fumble on a sack of
Matt Cassel
.
Antwan Barnes
got to
the quarterback as well and played much better than expected
against the run.
Donald Butler
and
Takeo
Spikes
played well on the inside.

Secondary: C

Eric Weddle
now has five interceptions. His
fourth was key. His fifth killed a possible game-winning drive in
the fourth. The Chargers have struggled against bigger receivers,
and the Chiefs have two. They had a tough time against
Dwayne Bowe
(expected) and
Jonathan
Baldwin
(surprise), which kept several drives alive.
Marcus Gilchrist
had serious trouble in his first
start since replacing
Antoine Cason
, who played
after
Quentin Jammer
was lost due to cramps.